editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94David Schaper is a NPR National Desk reporter based in Chicago.In this role, he covers news in Chicago and around the Midwest. Additionally he reports on a broad range of important social, cultural, political, and business issues in the region.The range of Schaper's reporting has included profiles of service members killed in Iraq, and members of a reserve unit returning home to Wisconsin. He produced reports on the important political issues in key Midwest battleground states, education issues related to "No Child Left Behind," the bankruptcy of United Airlines as well as other aviation and transportation issues, and the devastation left by tornadoes, storms, blizzards, and floods in the Midwest.Prior to joining NPR, Schaper spent nine years working as an award-winning reporter and editor for Chicago Public Radio's WBEZ-FM. For three years he covered education issues, reporting in-depth on the problems, financial and otherwise, plaguing Chicago's public schools.In 1996, Schaper wasNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94David SchaperThu, 24 Nov 2016 19:23:09 +0000David Schaperhttp://ksut.org
David SchaperOn a night that the national election results had her discouraged, Seattle resident Anne Johnson had at least one ballot measure to celebrate: ST3, which will raise the local sales tax in the Seattle-Tacoma area to help pump $54 billion into expanding the region's rail and bus systems. It passed by a wide margin."That is awesome, and we've put a lot of work into that, and I'm excited for the direction that that will take Seattle," says Johnson, who adds that the transit improvements will help people get to their jobs, to school and will have environmental benefits, too.And Seattle voters aren't alone in approving new transit funding. San Francisco Bay area voters OK'd a tax increase to upgrade the aging BART system. Los Angeles County voters backed a tax increase to expand light rail, commuter rail and bus rapid transit service. And Atlanta voters approved expanding that city's transit lines.One of the unheralded national stories from Election Day is just how well trains and buses didVoters Backed Transit Funds. Will Congress OK Trump Infrastructure Plan? http://ksut.org/post/voters-backed-transit-funds-will-congress-ok-trump-infrastructure-plan
71079 as http://ksut.orgThu, 24 Nov 2016 00:32:00 +0000Voters Backed Transit Funds. Will Congress OK Trump Infrastructure Plan? David SchaperIf it's true that misery loves company, then the heartbreaking failures of the Chicago Cubs over the last century certainly cemented bonds through generations of fans.The Cubs are in the World Series for the first time in 71 years, and they haven't won the fall classic since 1908.That makes this year's success somewhat bittersweet for many fans in Chicago, who remember parents, grandparents, spouses and other loved ones who didn't live long enough to see this day.So in cemeteries all across the Chicago area, fans are planting Cubs' flags, pennants, flowers, balloons and little stuffed Cubby bears in front of the headstones of Cubs fans who are no longer with us.At Bohemian National Cemetery on the city's northwest side, there is a "Cubs Fans Forever" wall — built to look like iconic Wrigley Field's outfield wall with real bricks and ivy from the ballpark — containing the ashes of several die-hard Cubs fans."[I was] feeling bad that he's not here with us to see Cubs winning," LindaCubs Fans Decorate Grave Sites Of Loved Ones Across Chicago Areahttp://ksut.org/post/cubs-fans-decorate-grave-sites-loved-ones-across-chicago-area
70421 as http://ksut.orgWed, 26 Oct 2016 22:03:00 +0000Cubs Fans Decorate Grave Sites Of Loved Ones Across Chicago AreaDavid Schaper Many travelers have resigned themselves to paying $25 or more to check a bag when flying. But that fee becomes especially onerous when the bag doesn't show up on the carousel at baggage claim.The White House is proposing a new rule that would require airlines to refund the checked baggage fee if luggage is "substantially delayed," though it does not define "substantially."NPR aviation reporter David Schaper says airlines are already required to compensate passengers for lost or damaged luggage. Schaper quotes Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx arguing that this next step just makes sense: "If you pay the baggage fee and your bags are not returned to you in a timely manner, you've essentially paid for a service you're not getting."An airline industry spokesperson says the regulation is unnecessary because many airlines already offer baggage fee refunds on their own and some will even reimburse travelers for the cost of clothes they need to purchase if luggage is substantially delayedNew Rules Would Require Airlines To Refund Baggage Fees For Delayed Luggagehttp://ksut.org/post/new-rules-would-require-airlines-refund-baggage-fees-delayed-luggage
70244 as http://ksut.orgWed, 19 Oct 2016 11:26:00 +0000New Rules Would Require Airlines To Refund Baggage Fees For Delayed LuggageDavid SchaperCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit GREENE, HOST: The numbers in the city of Chicago, they're just staggering. More than 3,000 people have been shot this year, more than 500 killed. That's already more than all of last year. And Chicago has recorded more murders this year than New York and Los Angeles combined. The city announced yesterday it will hire nearly 1,000 new police officers over the next two years. And Mayor Rahm Emanuel outlined a broader effort to try to reduce gun violence in a highly-anticipated speech tonight. From Chicago, NPR's David Schaper reports. DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE: I'm standing on a street corner on Chicago's west side in the West Garfield Park neighborhood, where, quite honestly, the gang and gun violence problem is not new. But longtime residents here say they never thought it would get this bad. MARSHALL HATCH: It's just this constant barrage of violence that seems to get more and more heinous. SCHAPER: Reverend Marshall Hatch is pastor of New MountChicago Mayor To Address Effort To Reduce Gun Violencehttp://ksut.org/post/chicago-mayor-address-effort-reduce-gun-violence
69622 as http://ksut.orgThu, 22 Sep 2016 11:47:00 +0000Chicago Mayor To Address Effort To Reduce Gun ViolenceDavid SchaperCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit SCHAPER, BYLINE: I'm David Schaper in Chicago, where that cheap gas that Jeff talked about and a stronger economy are putting a lot more cars and trucks on the road. I'm sitting in my car on Lake Shore Drive, and traffic is bumper-to-bumper, barely moving at all. New government figures show that more vehicles plus more people driving more often all adds up to more crashes. And highways like this one are getting a lot more dangerous. MARK ROSEKIND: This was both tragic and alarming for us. SCHAPER: Mark Rosekind heads the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It released data this week showing that more than 35,000 people were killed on the nation's roads last year, reversing what had been a promising trend. ROSEKIND: Over 10 years, we had seen a 25-percent drop in the number of lives lost on our roadways. And then, in 2015, we saw a 7.5-percent increase, the largest percent increase in 50 years. SCHAPER: That's almost 100 trafficNew Government Figures Reveal Uptick In Driving Fatalitieshttp://ksut.org/post/new-government-figures-reveal-uptick-driving-fatalities
69114 as http://ksut.orgFri, 02 Sep 2016 20:32:00 +0000New Government Figures Reveal Uptick In Driving FatalitiesDavid SchaperThe U.S. Department of Transportation released a statistic on Wednesday that should surprise no one who flies: In the first six months of the year, nearly 1 in every 5 flights was delayed.Flights can be delayed for reasons ranging from bad weather to mechanical problems, but airlines know delays are a problem.Sarah, a corporate training professional based in Texas, is a frequent flier and writes the travel blog Road Warriorette. (She didn't want her last name used because her employer doesn't know about her blog.) Sarah recalls one flight to Charlotte, N.C., that was already delayed an hour and a half."We took off. We hit a bird and had to turn around and come back," Sarah remembers. "At that point, they were like, 'Sorry guys, but your pilots and crew are timing out and so we're gonna have to wait another two hours for a new crew to come in.' "To prevent fatigue, the FAA limits how long pilots can work. So, if your plane can't make it to its destination before the pilots reach theirAirline Pilots Pump The Brakes On Plans To Speed Up Flightshttp://ksut.org/post/airline-pilots-pump-brakes-plans-speed-flights
68686 as http://ksut.orgWed, 17 Aug 2016 21:35:00 +0000Airline Pilots Pump The Brakes On Plans To Speed Up FlightsDavid SchaperCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Delta Operations Resume After Power Outage Left Travelers Strandedhttp://ksut.org/post/delta-operations-resume-after-power-outage-left-travelers-stranded
68452 as http://ksut.orgMon, 08 Aug 2016 22:21:00 +0000Delta Operations Resume After Power Outage Left Travelers StrandedDavid SchaperCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit GREENE, HOST: Well, hope you are not trying to fly this morning on Delta Airlines. Hundreds of flights are delayed or canceled after the airline had to ground its entire fleet because of a system outage. Earlier this morning, we reached one person stuck in this mess, Jackie Watanabe (ph). She was trying to get from Las Vegas to Raleigh. JACKIE WATANABE: Every few minutes, they just kept saying they're still having computer issues. They couldn't figure out if it was just local or if it was system-wide. And then eventually they said it was global. GREENE: Global - that gives you a sense of how big this problem was. Now, we are told the ground stop has now been lifted. No telling, though, how quickly Jackie and other passengers will make it to their destinations. Let's bring in NPR's David Schaper who has been following this story from Chicago. And, David, what happened? DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE: Well, David, there was a power outage in Atlanta, whichDelta Grounds All Its Airplanes After Power Outagehttp://ksut.org/post/delta-grounds-all-its-airplanes-after-power-outage
68440 as http://ksut.orgMon, 08 Aug 2016 14:37:00 +0000Delta Grounds All Its Airplanes After Power OutageDavid SchaperIt's a warm and muggy summer afternoon in Chicago, but that doesn't seem to bother the kids clamoring to ride the Ferris wheel, the Rock-O-Plane and other carnival rides set up in this southwest suburban park.At the annual Chicago Fraternal Order of Police summer picnic, city cops and their families hauled in coolers and set up grills to enjoy food and bond with brothers and sisters in blue.But there's something hanging over this picnic: the stress and strain of the job, and the scrutiny that many here say is harsher than ever.Police across the country were already shaken, mourning the loss of the five officers in Dallas killed by a sniper last week. And then the police killings in Baton Rouge, La., happened.The deadly attacks on law enforcement, and the recent killings of black men by police, have many wondering if the relationship between the police and the communities they serve will get worse before it gets better."We're being judged for every little thing. And when it getsMany Cops Under Tremendous Stress After High-Profile Killingshttp://ksut.org/post/many-cops-under-tremendous-stress-after-high-profile-killings
67892 as http://ksut.orgMon, 18 Jul 2016 21:29:00 +0000Many Cops Under Tremendous Stress After High-Profile KillingsDavid SchaperThe excruciating wait times at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports the past couple of weeks have travelers fuming and some city officials looking for other options.Chicago Alderman Ed Burke is calling on the city to do airport security the way it's done in Kansas City, San Francisco and several smaller airports around the country. He wants to hire a private company to staff the screening checkpoints."It's working in San Francisco, isn't it? And it's working in 20 other airports around the country. What we do know is it's not working here with TSA, so maybe it's an opportunity to give private industry a chance to show whether or not they can do it right," he says.Officials in New York, Atlanta and other cities are also taking a hard look at whether privatizing airport security might move travelers through checkpoints more quickly."I look at those lines and just the enormity of that and there has to be a rapid response," says Joe Schwieterman, transportation professor at Chicago'sCities Consider Privatizing TSA To Speed Up Checkpoints, But Would It?http://ksut.org/post/cities-consider-privatizing-tsa-speed-checkpoints-would-it
66540 as http://ksut.orgThu, 26 May 2016 21:36:00 +0000Cities Consider Privatizing TSA To Speed Up Checkpoints, But Would It?David SchaperThe head of the Transportation Security Administration is promising the agency will do a better job of staffing enough officers at airport security checkpoints to reduce long lines. But he says those long lines are likely to continue through the peak summer travel season.Travelers at some airports have been waiting two to three hours or more to get through screening. As a result, thousands have missed their flights in recent weeks.The problem has been particularly bad at Chicago's airports.The security checkpoint line Sunday night at Midway stretched all the way to the airport's transit station. At O'Hare, two- to three-hour waits forced 450 passengers to miss flights on American Airlines alone.Friday at O'Hare, TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger apologized."Earlier this week, we had a breakdown here in Chicago and that was unacceptable," Neffenger said. "I am very sorry to those people that did that, and we are working very hard to make sure that doesn't happen again."After meetingTSA Head Visits Chicago Airports In Effort To Reduce Long Security Lineshttp://ksut.org/post/tsa-head-visits-chicago-airports-effort-reduce-long-security-lines
66391 as http://ksut.orgFri, 20 May 2016 20:42:00 +0000TSA Head Visits Chicago Airports In Effort To Reduce Long Security LinesDavid SchaperCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Egyptian Officials Cite Possible Terrorism In EgyptAir Crash Investigationhttp://ksut.org/post/egyptian-officials-cite-possible-terrorism-egyptair-crash-investigation
66350 as http://ksut.orgThu, 19 May 2016 20:27:00 +0000Egyptian Officials Cite Possible Terrorism In EgyptAir Crash InvestigationDavid SchaperIn Chicago, one neighborhood's rat problem is about to get a lot worse.Crews are preparing to tear down an old hospital and when the wrecking ball starts swinging, the rodents living in and underneath the aging structure will scurry.The city and the developer are setting poison baits and traps to help control the problem, but some residents are turning to one of the rats' worst enemies instead — cats.Construction On Old Buildings Worsens Rat ProblemChicago's upscale Lincoln Park neighborhood is known for its fine bars and restaurants, trendy clothiers and elegant row houses mixed with luxurious town houses and yuppie apartment buildings.Like many densely populated urban neighborhoods, Lincoln Park also has rats. A lot of rats."They totally freak me out," says Courtney Bledsoe, as she sees a rat dart across the street while picking up her son at a Lincoln Park preschool."Every night when I walk down the sidewalk, I see rats," says 36-year-old Kelly McGee, who has come to accept thisFacing A Growing Rat Problem, A Neighborhood Sets Off The Cat Patrolhttp://ksut.org/post/facing-growing-rat-problem-neighborhood-sets-cat-patrol
65089 as http://ksut.orgMon, 04 Apr 2016 22:02:00 +0000Facing A Growing Rat Problem, A Neighborhood Sets Off The Cat PatrolDavid SchaperCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit KELLY MCEVERS, HOST: One of the country's most passionate advocates for health care reform has died. Dr. Quentin Young was a civil rights activist in Chicago and a personal physician to city's first black mayor, to a governor and to Martin Luther King. David Schaper has this remembrance.DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE: The care of his patients always came first to Quentin Young, buy fighting for universal access to care was his passion, says one of Young's patients, former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.PAT QUINN: I would have to say most of my visits to his office, we occasionally talked about medical matters, but mostly it was how to make sure everybody was in and nobody was left out when it came to decent health care.SCHAPER: Dr. Quentin Young grew up on Chicago's south side. And after serving in the Army during World War II, he earned his medical degree at Northwestern. He worked to desegregate Chicago hospitals in the 1950s and marched for civil rights inCivil Rights Activist Dr. Quentin Young Dies At 92http://ksut.org/post/civil-rights-activist-dr-quentin-young-dies-92
64326 as http://ksut.orgWed, 09 Mar 2016 21:57:00 +0000Civil Rights Activist Dr. Quentin Young Dies At 92David SchaperCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: For the first time in decades, passengers will soon be able to catch a commercial flight from the U.S. to Cuba. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx is in Havana this morning to sign a deal to get those planes in the air. NPR's David Shaper reports.DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE: Decades of Cold War policies made Cuba one destination that's off-limits to U.S. commercial airlines. Only about a dozen daily charter flights are allowed. But that's about to change.THOMAS ENGLE: This provides for a very important sizable increase in travel between the two countries.SCHAPER: Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Engle says the agreement being signed today will allow up to 110 commercial airline flights a day from the U.S. into Havana and nine other Cuban cities.ENGLE: Expanding travel between the two countries is a key element of the president's broader policy of normalizing relations.SCHAPER: Today's agreement opens up a 15-dayU.S.-Cuba Officials To Sign Commercial Air Traffic Dealhttp://ksut.org/post/us-cuba-sign-commercial-air-traffic-deal
63660 as http://ksut.orgTue, 16 Feb 2016 11:07:00 +0000U.S.-Cuba Officials To Sign Commercial Air Traffic DealDavid SchaperEditor's note: This report contains graphic descriptions of torture.The Chicago Police Department is the latest force in the national spotlight for a controversial shooting of a young black man, but the issues raised by recently released videos showing police shootings are not new in Chicago.The incidents, critics say, are evidence of what they call a long history of Chicago police using excessive force on minorities in the city.The day he was tortured is one that Darrell Cannon says will live with him until he takes his last breath: Nov. 2, 1983, and the torture came at the hands of three Chicago police detectives. They suspected Cannon in a murder, so they took him to an isolated area on Chicago's South Side and played Russian roulette."They took a shotgun while my hands was cuffed behind my back, and while I was standing out there, one of the detectives told me and I quote, 'N*****, look around. Nobody's gonna see or hear anything we do to you today,' " Cannon says.Cannon says oneWith Chicago Police Investigation, Advocates Ask, What Took So Long?http://ksut.org/post/chicago-police-investigation-advocates-ask-what-took-so-long
61818 as http://ksut.orgWed, 09 Dec 2015 00:09:00 +0000With Chicago Police Investigation, Advocates Ask, What Took So Long?David SchaperCopyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Head Of Chicago PD Dismissed Amid Tension Over Black Teenager's Deathhttp://ksut.org/post/head-chicago-pd-dismissed-amid-tension-over-black-teenagers-death
61613 as http://ksut.orgWed, 02 Dec 2015 10:09:00 +0000Head Of Chicago PD Dismissed Amid Tension Over Black Teenager's DeathDavid SchaperCopyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit KELLY MCEVERS, HOST: Chicago police officials have now released a video of a white police officer shooting a black teenager 16 times last year, killing him. Those who have seen the video describe it as graphic and disturbing, and it was made public just hours after the officer who fired the shots was charged with first-degree murder. Now protesters are in the streets of Chicago while city leaders call for calm. From Chicago, NPR's David Schaper reports.DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE: In the prelude leading up to the long-awaited release of a police vehicle's dashboard camera video of the shooting, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel repeatedly called on those expected to demonstrate over this latest incident, of what prosecutors call an unnecessary and criminal use of force, to protest peacefully.(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)RAHM EMANUEL: I believe this is a moment that can build bridges of understanding rather than become a barrier of misunderstanding.SCHAPER:Chicago Police Release Video Of Officer Shooting Teenhttp://ksut.org/post/chicago-police-release-video-officer-shooting-teen
61437 as http://ksut.orgWed, 25 Nov 2015 00:28:00 +0000Chicago Police Release Video Of Officer Shooting TeenDavid SchaperStepping off his recent flight from Boston at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, education consultant Debashis Sengupta looked a little surprised."The flight today was actually quite nice," says Sengupta. "No problems at all, in fact — not something I was expecting from United."This frequent flier says an uneventful, on-time flight on United is the exception, not the rule."I'm not a fond customer of United at all," says Sengupta, 53, of West Newton, Mass. "I've never had a good flying experience. They pack people like sardines ... and if I would have to put a number to it, I would say 7 out of 10 times when I flew United, I've had a problem in terms of getting in late, way too late, so I'm fairly sure I'll miss my connecting flight."Another frequent flier, 49-year-old Kathy Karlesses of Philadelphia, says she finds flying United "not that great.""Their on-time performance is pretty dismal and service in the air is nothing special," she says.Karlesses says she, too, is shocked whenUnited Airlines Faces Steep Ascent In Not-So-Friendly Skieshttp://ksut.org/post/united-airlines-faces-steep-ascent-not-so-friendly-skies
59415 as http://ksut.orgMon, 28 Sep 2015 21:42:00 +0000United Airlines Faces Steep Ascent In Not-So-Friendly SkiesDavid SchaperCopyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: There's a big shake-up at United Airlines today. The chief executive officer and two other high-ranking officials at United Airlines abruptly resigned in the midst of an internal and federal investigation. The airline is being investigated by the U.S. attorney's office in New Jersey over whether it improperly tried to sway senior officials at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. NPR's David Schaper joins us with the latest.And David, to begin, what's known about this investigation with the U.S. attorney's office?DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE: Well, Audie, United Airlines disclosed earlier this year that some of its executives had received subpoenas from a federal grand jury in New Jersey for information about its dealings and interactions with the Port Authority. United announced at that the time that it would conduct its own internal investigation as well. And according to published reports, the investigation focuses on theUnited Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek Resigns Amid Federal Investigationhttp://ksut.org/post/united-airlines-ceo-jeff-smisek-resigns-amid-federal-investigation
58345 as http://ksut.orgTue, 08 Sep 2015 23:24:00 +0000United Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek Resigns Amid Federal Investigation